


In need of Refueling

by jadethestone



Category: LEGO Monkie Kid
Genre: Abuse, Anger Management, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Burns, Emotional Abuse, Father-Figure Sandy, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, Injury, Panic Attacks, Redemption, Soul-Searching, Tears, True Samādhi Fire, like the tone of the show but darker, therapy cats, toxic thoughts due to toxic parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28232580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadethestone/pseuds/jadethestone
Summary: “You?! Why would I trust you? You have brought me nothing but failure. Time and time again; nothing but disappointment!”His father's words might have been a result of his possession by the White Bone Spirit, but whether or not they were his true thoughts, Red Son vows to prove them wrong. To do so he seeks to attain a power strong enough to destroy his father's immortal enemy. After all, he'd much rather throw fire at his problems.
Relationships: Qi Xiaotian | MK & Sūn Wùkōng | Monkey King, Red Son & Demon Bull King, Red Son & Princess Iron Fan, Red Son & Qi Xiaotian | MK, Red Son & Sandy
Comments: 34
Kudos: 88





	1. Start

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom is just starting out and I don't see that many continuous fics for it out there. So I guess if I want to see one, then I'll have to make it myself! I hope y'all enjoy it!  
> Big thanks to [arachnid_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arachnid_writes/pseuds/arachnid_writes) and [simplyfornardo](https://simplyfornardo.tumblr.com/) for helping me bounce ideas off of them.  
> And also thanks to [lemonsqueazie](https://lemonsqueazie.tumblr.com/) for providing me with "Journey to the West" lore. I don't know much about the original novel or other iterations, but I still tried to keep some things compliant with the lore.  
> You should check all of them out, since they're really great content creators with neat ideas!

_“You?! Why would I trust you?”_

Red Son recalls his father’s words the day that the White Bone Spirit had possessed him and they had to be assisted by their own enemy in order to free his mind. He is trying his best to meditate and control his thoughts. He was never particularly good at meditation. He is much better with action than thoughts or words. Still, his analytical mind attempted to focus on the task at hand - trying to figure out a way to bring his father the glory he deserves. But these petty thoughts of _that day_ keep coming back to him. He resists the urge to tug at the tails of his jacket, as he sits cross-legged in his room.

Yes, the Demon Bull King had been possessed at the time, but how much of what he said had been his inner thoughts? They had to simply be the ravings of a demon possessed by another demon.

_“You have brought me nothing but failure.”_

This is true though, isn’t it? The weather station, the race, the skeleton key - Red Son really had failed every time he tried to defeat that Noodle Boy and Dragon Girl on his own. He always needed help; rescue. He feels flames bristle at the back of his equally flaming red hair, and the tip of his pony tail twitches in the heat.

 _No!_ Red Son shifts his thoughts back to figuring out what to do _now_. He is an engineer; he works out difficult problems all the time! He’ll definitely think of something! He made his father’s armor! That’s certainly been useful! Ergokinetic absorption was such a handy ability - stealing energy to make energy, and the more powerful the substance, the more powerful his father would become! That was the first thing he had presented to his father when he was released from imprisonment beneath the mountain. His father had liked that. Perhaps Red Son could make another piece of armor or a weapon for his father that would be even better! It was the armor that helped give his father strength enough to combat the Monkie Kid! Not enough to defeat him though. And if he couldn’t defeat the Monkie Kid, he probably couldn’t defeat the Monkey King himself. And it was also that gift that allowed the White Bone Spirit the means to possess the Demon Bull King in the first place...

_“Time and time again; nothing but disappointment!”_

Red Son’s thoughts come to a standstill. His dark eyes blink open, staring at nothing. He has to remember to breathe. 

Red Son squints his eyes shut, angry at the interrupting thoughts of his father’s words. But they weren’t _his_ words. Right? He didn’t really think those things. He wasn’t a disappointment! He wasn’t a failure! He just needed to find the right way to prove that he could be useful to his father. That he could be strong!

Maybe that was the key! Some new form of strength! Some new power that Red Son himself could attain, so as to stop being the weak link in the chain of his family. For that he’d need some sort of ancient artifact or power source. That was what his parents seemed interested in anyway. Despite his numerous attempts at providing them with modern technological solutions like the weather station or even the internet, they seemed intent on focusing on older more “reliable” power sources. If that’s what they wanted, then Red Son would try to focus on that, too. Besides, going by the same logic of the very armor that he had made for his father, the older and rarer the item, the greater the power it could potentially hold. Perhaps it would even make him strong enough to help bring down the Demon Bull King’s greatest foe - the very one who had buried him in the mountain for hundreds of years.

That was it! If Red Son could defeat the Monkey King or provide his father with the means to do so, then he would surely be someone deserving to be called the son of the Demon Bull King! Red Son latches on to this thought like a lifeline, pushing down the echoes of his father’s words of “failure” and “disappointment.” Well, he would be neither of those things! Whether or not his father truly meant those words, Red Son would prove them wrong on principal. 

He attempts to not get entirely carried away by some of his fantasies, however, with a bit of logic. Where to start? Who would know of an ancient power source and be willing to divulge such information? He couldn’t let his parents know. It had to be a surprise. He could present it to them himself. Perhaps even test it out first...

Habits die hard, and Red Son finds himself turning to the internet for answers. Just because he’s going to find an old school solution, doesn’t mean he has to completely forget about modern conveniences. Apparently the Demon Bull King family weren’t the only demons running around the city. There had been sightings of others, and hints as to what they wanted. But one demon in particular stands out to him. One who is highly dangerous, but incredibly ancient and would be the most likely one who holds the answers he is looking for. And he could find her lurking underneath the city.

It's a start.


	2. Silken Web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son knows a trap when he sees one, but he continues on without fear as he looks around for any traces of trickery. It is dusty and the area seems untouched, except for the circular disk that he just stepped on.
> 
> “Right there…” says the voice, and Red Son can hear the smile in it as the disk drops down revealing a trap door.

Red Son stands in front of a decrepit market stand. Shriveled brown excuses for vegetation dust the bottom of containers labeled as produce and cooking ingredients. But the demon he is looking for is nowhere to be seen. He peers into the tented area covered by curtains with an unimpressed glare. Still, the spider insignia on the stand’s sign is unmistakable, so he calls into the gloom with a demanding, authoritative voice. “Spider Queen! I have come to have some words with you. I am looking for something and I think you have the information I seek!”

At first there is nothing. But a soft wind picks up around his ankles and a sultry whisper drifts out of the stand. “Come in…” it says.

Red Son glances around the area, then slips inside the curtains.

“Farther inside…” the voice calls.

Red Son knows a trap when he sees one, but he continues on without fear as he looks around for any traces of trickery. It is dusty and the area seems untouched, except for the circular disk that he just stepped on.

“Right there…” says the voice, and Red Son can hear the smile in it as the disk drops down revealing a trap door.

Red Son gives a tired sigh as he falls and activates flames underneath his feet, slowing his descent on his way down the sudden hole in the floor.

He lands smoothly and kicks up flames around his feet in a circle to push back any potential enemy waiting for him below. It is dark, and he can hardly see anything. He hears some drip of water echo, giving a hint of a cavernous area. A scuttling noise bounces around him.

Red Son holds his palm upward in front of him and brings a ball of flame to life, lighting up his surroundings. He is indeed in a cave, as he thought, and it is covered in spider webs. The webs rustle and bounce as a result of quick movements that Red Son forces his eyes to follow despite them still adjusting to the light. The scuttling and the web movements sweep around him, and he twists around adjusting into a defensive stance as he prepares for what is facing him.

As he turns around he finds who he is looking for directly in front of him. If one weren’t paying attention, one might mistake her as an attractive human woman with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. But her greyish-purple skin and sharp fangs reveal a more demonic nature. Her spider-like body, complete with eight spindly legs with sharp ends come into the light, and she lifts herself high above Red Son, looking down at him with the ease of someone who knows how much power she holds.

“Spider Queen,” Red Son says with as much control as he can, despite an uptick in his heart rate. He takes a bow. 

“My, what a polite boy,” the eight-legged spider demon drolls amusedly in an earthy accent. “To whom do I owe the pleasure of visiting me down in my Silken Web Cave?”

Red Son straightens himself up and introduces himself. “I am Red Son - the son of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.”

“Yes, and a fire demon it seems,” she says eyeing the flame in his palm warily. “Spiders like us do not take kindly to fire like that…” Her mouth twitches in a hint of a grimace, but the smile never leaves her eyes.

“I did this so I can see, not so I may harm you… as long as I don’t have to…” Red Son says keeping his expression cool, but a smile of his own twitching at the corner of his lips. “I have come to request your assistance.”

“Assistance?” Spider Queen says with a tittering laugh. “That is amusing! What would I be assisting with?”

“Information. I want to know of any artifact or power source strong enough to kill an immortal.”

The Spider Queen quirks an eyebrow. “Might you be looking to destroy the Monkie Kid? I hear he has been causing you trouble. But I also hear that he is not indestructible. Your flames or a good enough whack should do the trick, I’d say,” she says clicking one of her legs harshly against the ground for emphasis.

“Not the Monkie Kid. The Monkey _King_!”

“Oh, is he still wandering around these parts!? I suppose that makes sense given that the Monkie Kid has been giving us demons a hard time.” She crosses her arms and looks up, tapping a finger to her cheek. “Well… I don’t know of any specific artifact that could destroy someone as powerful as that…” She again, eyes Red Son’s flames. “Buuuut… I do know of a way to power up your fire in a way that might allow you to gain the upper hand in a fight against him.”

Red Son’s eyes light up and the fire in his hand flares with his excitement. “Really!? Magnificent! Tell me! I must know!” He grins widely and wickedly, barely containing himself.

“Hahaha, you lose your manners so quickly when you are excited it seems,” Spider Queen laughs without joy. “Why would I give you such information without anything in return? What do you have for me?”

Red Son’s grin doesn’t falter, spreading further to show his teeth. “Oh, I hear that you’re looking for rare and powerful ingredients, and I have some for you right here.” Red Son pulls a pouch out of his pocket and opens it to reveal dark hairs sticking out of it. “The Monkie Kid’s hair, leftover from his defeated clones. I’m sure that's worth a little bit of information, now isn’t it?”

Red Son can tell he’s got her interest by the way that her eyes glimmer with no help from the flame he wields. She stretches out a hand, and two of her all too sharp legs reach toward him as well. “Yes!” she says, as if entranced by the sight of the hair.

“Uh, uh, uh!” Red Son tuts as he brings the bag close to the fire in his other hand, causing the Spider Queen to stop her advance. “I want my information first.”

Spider Queen’s smile tightens, and this time it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You’re a shrewd little boy. But yes, I will tell you.”

Red Son smiles and listens intently.

Her posture straightens and with a flick of her wrist she spools out a strand of thread that begins to take shape into an abstract picture of a flame. So skilled is the puppetry of her silk webs, that the false flame seems to dance. “The power you are looking for is called ‘The True Fire of Samadhi.’”

As she weaves her story, so does she weave pictures into her web. She creates the image of a ring of mountains around a taller one. “You must seek out the Flaming Mountains surrounding the Monkey King’s own Flower Fruit Mountain. He knows not that his own weakness lies within the very fires that seemingly protect his solitude.” The abstract map-like picture shifts to a mountain to the left, with an opening about midway up. “In the tallest eastern mountain, there is a cave that leads to a shrine that can only be revealed by the rising sun. In there, you will find the power you seek.” Spider Queen releases her webs, letting them dangle, lifeless. She shifts her stance and her speech from storyteller to businesswoman in a second. “Is that enough information for you, sugar?”

Red Son nods enthusiastically and hands over the pouch. “I will be on my way, now.”

Spider Queen picks her finger through the hairs in the pouch as if counting gold coins. She certainly handles the pouch as if it were just as precious. “Oh, and one more thing, sweetie,” she says, waving an errant hand over her shoulder. “A warning, since you seem like quite the impatient type. The power there is as old as the mountains themselves. It has the power to overwhelm if found in the wrong hands.”

Red Son scoffs, barely giving her words a second thought. As if there were any fire that he couldn’t handle. He leaves, having gotten what he came for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to use some "Journey to the West" lore in this, and while technically the True Fire of Samadhi was developed by Red Son in the "Fiery Mountains" and not the "Flaming Mountains" (which I think are two separate locations in the novel??), I thought it'd make more sense to utilize an already established location in LMK. Thank you to [simplyfornardo](https://simplyfornardo.tumblr.com/) for helping me with this idea. On another note, Spider Queen is a fun villain and I liked having ~~an excuse~~ a reason to include her.


	3. The Fire Samadhi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though the mountain looks normal and has no nooks that could be mistaken for doors or shrines, he can sense something strange from it. Something pulling him in. As if he was meant to be here. As if it were waiting for a fire demon to claim the power inside.

Red Son left the Spider Queen’s lair with a chill running up and down his spine. Perhaps it was from the dank nature of the cave, or maybe it was the nervousness that made him feel as if he was being watched in his schemes. But he was certain a large part of it was from the excitement that he was given a path to become stronger, and that his plans would come to fruition soon!

He clenches his fists and an eager smile spreads on his face. “The Samadhi Fire will be mine!”

He gets in his Inferno Truck and heads towards the mountains, not noticing the _putt-putting_ of a noodle cart chugging along behind him.

\---

He can feel the pulsing of the magma bubbling beneath the mountains before they are even in sight. The heat flows over the horizon in waves and he breathes in the smoke and cinder happily. He had to ditch his vehicle on land and propel himself towards the mountains across the water using his own flames, pushing himself along underneath his feet. He is cautious when he reaches the shore. He doesn’t want to potentially disturb the Monkey King himself, having landed in his own territory. He doesn’t even know exactly where the Monkey King lives among the volcanic ring of mountains. But that’s a problem to figure out after he gets The Fire.

He did what the Spider Queen said and searched for the highest mountain on the eastern side. Then waits. The mountain looks incredibly normal. Well, incredibly normal for an active volcano spouting smoke, ash, and lava. The heat doesn’t bother Red Son. It is this kind of environment where he is at his most powerful. He can feel the pressure in the ground beneath him. And though the mountain looks normal and has no nooks that could be mistaken for doors or shrines, he can sense something strange from it. Something pulling him in. As if he was meant to be here. As if it were waiting for a fire demon to claim the power inside.

He wanders around the eastern crevices reaching out with his powers for a source of the strange magic he feels within. Going to the top of the volcano doesn’t seem to help, but somewhere midway, where the other peaks of mountains make up the horizon, he feels the magic flow more strongly, as if the energy inside is tugging at his own energy like a magnet. It is nearly sunrise. There’s a small ledge on the path that he has been following that seems just the right angle to meet the sun with, so there he stands, looking curiously at the mountain-face before him.

He feels the warmth of the sun hit him from behind. His shadow blocks part of the cliff-face that he is staring at, but he sees a strange outline form around him on the rock. He moves aside to allow the sun’s rays to hit the wall. A glowing blue door-frame appears. Markings representing fire frame its edges, and what looks like etchings of a flaming vortex reach towards its center where a hole forms.

Red Son pokes at the hole which is only just smaller than his fist. It looks charred at the edges, which gives him an idea. He takes a stance at the hole and extends his palm outward towards it. He braces his arm and tenses, sending a wave of pressurized flame into the hole. A whooshing noise followed by a click and some dust pushing out of the edges of the door-frame occurs, and the door shudders. Red Son steps back to see the door slide open.

With a victorious smile curling on his lips, he enters.

Inside is hot, even a bit too warm for Red Son himself. The air is thick with heat, but he moves forward. The interior is lit with a red glow, likely from the lava that the mountain is spewing. The pathway spirals downwards with little rivulets of heated rock poking out of the mountainside. He follows a winding pathway along the circular chasm that is the mountain’s crater until he comes over a walkway that pokes above the bottom. There is a blue glow from the edge and as he gets closer, he sees a pedestal with a flickering blue flame on top. Framing the pedestal is a decorated archway with patterns similar to the door that took him into the mountain.

One thing the Spider Queen was right about - this place is _old_. Everything from the walkway to the pedestal to even the air just felt ancient, as if placed outside of time itself.

Red Son looks at the markings on the archway closely and notices some script written there. It is not a writing that he recognizes, and yet he understands it.

_One whose heart does not flicker,  
but blazes bright  
can command the True Fire  
and extinguish the inextinguishable._

Red Son takes a steadying breath. His heart will not “ _flicker_ ”. He is sure of it. He is ready for this.

He reaches out a hand for The Fire.

And grasps it.

Suddenly everything is a blazing bright blue. Red Son is in the center of a great maelstrom of blue flame spinning around him. The raging, heat-fueled winds spin around him, threatening to blow him away. He has to bring his other hand up to hold onto the flame. It flickers around his fingers and yet feels solid in his grasp. He needs to hold on. He can barely see the mountain he is in. The vortex of flame reaches up towards the crater’s opening and flashes of lightning crash inwards. One bolt reaches the fire in his fists and the force from the flash nearly sends him flying away, but still he holds on. He can feel the power pushing against his enclosed hands, as if an entire sun is stuck inside, trying to break out. But he still holds on. He focuses his whole body, all of his power, on gaining control of the flames. He speaks to it, with determination and conviction.

“I am the son of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan! I am the most powerful fire demon ever, and there is no fire that I cannot control!” He tightens his grip and his focus, looking at the blue fire in his fists as if he were talking to a raging beast. It certainly felt like one. “I am Red Son, and I _will_ control you, True Fire of Samadhi!!!” He completely closes his fists around The Fire.

He feels a rush of energy push into him, blue flames traveling up his arms and into his body in an instant. The pulse of invisible force nearly knocks the breath out of him. He stumbles forward, through the archway that held The Fire, and in a blink of an eye he is outside again on the ledge facing East. The door is no longer there. The sun is up. He looks around and it’s as if nothing happened. He looks to his hands. He can feel an energy there, thrumming beneath his fingertips.

He focuses on that feeling and lights a fire in his palms.

The fire is blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say about this chapter. I had fun describing cool firey effects though! :3  
> I appreciate the comments and kudos' that I've received! More feedback would also be appreciated!  
> Next chapter I'll be shifting POVs a bit...


	4. A Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son seems really still for a moment, but then summons a flame to his hands.
> 
> A blue flame?
> 
> That’s unusual.
> 
> Then Red Son starts cackling maniacally. 
> 
> That is less unusual.

Red Son looks at the small blue flame in his hands.

A smile twitches at the corner of his mouth. Then he chuckles. The chuckles become louder until they’re an uproarious laughter that echoes around the mountaintops. He had done it! He had attained the True Fire of Samadhi!

But what exactly _is_ this new power? It certainly feels strong. And strange. Almost... _alive_. As if the fire has a small heartbeat of its own, lightly pulsing in his palms. 

He has to test it out.

He starts with a small blast pointed outward off the ledge he was on. But as he lets loose the flames from his palm, the small blast turns out to be not so small at all, and instead it becomes a giant fireball that reaches a neighboring mountain, glances off its side, and blasts a decently sized boulder off the edge of it.

Red Son blinks at the destruction he caused. He chuckles again, though a bit more nervously this time. _I guess this will take some getting used to_ , he thinks.

He tries again, this time holding back a lot more than he normally would. Destruction is good, but control seems to be important here. There is something about the will of the fire that tells him so. His second attempt is much better, and more the size that he initially desired. He sets off a few more of those, then tries some medium sized flames, and a couple larger blasts, getting a hang of the pressure and power. He throws some punches and kicks, and lets the flames dance around his body and fingers.

He is having a lot of fun, but wonders what else The Fire can do.

_Extinguish the inextinguishable._

He recalls what was written on the archway in the mountain. He looks down at the sea lapping at the mountain shore in the distance. “Let’s see how ‘inextinguishable’ you really are,” he says with a smile.

Feeling confident he commands the flames to lift him up and over to the shore. His confidence is well-deserved, it seems, as the fire kicked up under his feet leads him safely over to the beach. 

First, he puts a hand under the water and then commands the fire to appear in his palm. Bubbling beneath the water, it faithfully appears in his palm with the same energy as if it weren’t submerged.

He pulls his hand out of the water and with two palms outstretched thrusts fire over and onto the water itself. The entire beachside is lit ablaze. The light reflects in his eyes. They shine greedily at the pure might that is displayed in front of him. The color is cold and uncaring, but the heat is strong and hot, and presses against him in waves. His father will surely be amazed with this, and be proud of his accomplishments.

Red Son is so caught up in his revelry and thinking of his father’s reaction and how he’ll finally gain recognition, that he doesn’t realize that the flames have creeped up shore and that the edge of his left pant-leg has caught fire. He looks down and yelps in surprise. He does a bit of a jig before he reminds himself that it’s _his_ fire, and sweeps his arms wide extinguishing the flames from the beach (and his pants) completely.

He coughs to gain composure and makes a show of casually dusting himself off, despite no one having witnessed his small error. He feels confident enough with this test run, that he thinks he can attempt to take on the Monkey King. But there's one more problem he needs to figure out. 

How to find the Monkey King?

Red Son is interrupted in his musings when he hears some rocks being disturbed behind him. From the blasts he caused earlier maybe? Or perhaps someone had seen him after all…? An idea pops into Red Son’s head. He may have a way to find the Monkey King after all...

\----

MK had noticed Red Son in the market while looking for ingredients for Pigsy. He ducked behind a stall, and peered out at his enemy. He heard him say something about how a “fire will be mine” and rush off. If there was one thing that MK had learned from cartoons, video games, and frequent run-ins with demons, it’s the look of a bad guy plotting something evil. So he does what a hero does - he follows him.

MK starts to get nervous when the direction that Red Son is taking begins to look familiar. And then extra nervous when he takes off beyond the sea headed towards where the Monkey King lives. He has to pull out his staff to try to fling himself in that direction over the sea. Landing in the Flaming Mountains, he misses Red Son by a good margin. But after some searching, he sees the fire demon wandering around a large volcano to the east. He is perplexed when for a moment it looks as if Red Son fazes through the wall of the mountain only to instantly appear on the ledge again.

Red Son seems really still for a moment, but then summons a flame to his hands.

A blue flame?

That’s unusual.

Then Red Son starts cackling maniacally. 

That is less unusual.

MK tries to push closer to see what’s going on, only to be taken aback by a sudden burst of blue flame that blasts away a chunk of the mountain next to him. MK pulls back and holds a hand over his suddenly racing heart. That was very intense and loud. He looks back cautiously, holding his staff in front of him, expecting another blast to come his way. But it seems as though he hadn’t been discovered and that blast was not meant for him, since he sees Red Son start making some motions and stances throwing that strange blue fire around him.

MK wonders what could be going on. A training session maybe? But why come to the Flaming Mountains? Red Son wouldn’t risk being caught by the Monkey King, would he?

His thoughts are interrupted as Red Son starts propelling himself towards the beach. MK tries to follow as quickly and stealthily as he can. Despite tripping over several rocks, he makes it to the beach undetected. What greets him there sends a cold pit into his stomach - the entire beach on fire.

And not just the sand. But the water. 

The _water_ is on fire!

MK blinks. How is that even possible?! He is so taken aback that he doesn’t realize how much he is leaning forward, and in doing so a small pebble loosens where he stands and rolls down the cliff he is on. He pushes himself behind a rock and holds his breath, hoping he wasn’t seen.

After a few beats, he hears Red Song speak. Not to him, it seems, so MK tentatively peeks over the ledge to look again. What he hears isn’t good.

“Finally! The True Fire of Samadhi! With this I can destroy even the great Monkey King and deliver him to my father!!!” Red Son shouts with relish.

The pit in MK’s stomach sinks further with those words, and as Red Son envelops himself in blue flames and disappears, MK panics.

_He’s after the Monkey King!!_

A bunch of thoughts run through his head at once. He only said he _could_ destroy the Monkey King, not that he _would_ , right? But why else would Red Son come here than to fight the Monkey King? Maybe he was just being his normal boastful self? Surely some fire couldn’t _actually_ hurt someone who is immortal a thousand times over, right? But if Red Son came here, he’s definitely trying _something_ and probably wants to get to him. What was that about “delivering him to his father?” And he _literally set the water on fire_! That can’t be good. How much time had he spent thinking about this? How much had he been delaying if the Monkey King somehow could be in danger? Why was he stillhere _hehadtogoNOW!!!_

MK plants his staff into the ground and launches himself towards Flower Fruit Mountain. No time to think; he had to warn his mentor! It took him only a minute or two. Hopefully, that was a minute or two that could be spared.

He rushes through the waterfall and the rocky arch that marks the entrance to the Monkey King’s home, kicking up sand and dirt in his wake. He reaches the hut and looks around. There are monkeys hanging out as normal. Everything is quiet and calm. Nothing is on fire.

MK takes a few steadying breaths. Maybe he didn’t have to panic-- “Heya, Kid!” a voice appears right next to his ear.

MK yelps and scrambles a few feet away, before turning around to see the Monkey King, very much fine and _not_ in danger, standing next to him in a very relaxed stance. Monkey King laughs and smiles genuinely at his student. “A little jumpy today, huh, Kid?”

“Uh-- yeah, I came to uh--” MK stutters out.

“Today’s not a normal training day. Or did you want some extra pointers?” The Monkey King flashes an easy smile, and winks at MK, the embodiment of calm and cool.

MK swallows and finally gets some words out. “No! I came to warn you about---”

“--ME!” comes a maniacal voice. Fire billows out of the entrance, somehow easily passing through the waterfall. From the flames appears Red Son smiling widely and wickedly at the mentor and student.

Blue flames flow from one of his eyes, giving him an intimidating aura, and he looks evilly at MK. “Thank you, Noodle Boy, for showing me the way!”

The cold pit that had been digging into MK’s stomach dropped all the way to his toes. All words and thoughts leave him. Except for one thing that echoes endlessly in his head:

_He had led Red Son right to his teacher._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching POVs and ending on a bit of a cliffhanger for this one! Things 'bout to get intense ;3


	5. Up in Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More smoke covers the area, blocking Wukong’s view from his surroundings, from Red Son, from _the kid_!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit darker and has scenes with fire and injury. Read with caution if those things trouble you.

Sun Wukong looks at the fire demon on his figurative doorstep, mildly perturbed at the intrusion to his home. He knew of Red Son from what MK had told him, but other than some eavesdropping on the Demon Bull King family, he knows very little about him. But what he did know is that he is sure that he could beat someone like him on any normal day. Red Son is strong, but he’s unpolished and potentially a bit unstable. He wouldn't usually be the type to pose a threat. 

But there is something odd about that blue fire wreathed around his hands. Wukong is pretty sure that _Red_ Son had _red_ flames. And despite his confidence in himself and in his student, there is something off about how MK is acting. Perhaps this isn't the time to challenge his student with the whole hero thing right now. MK has this fearful look in his eyes and it puts Wukong on guard. Maybe there is something more to DBK's son than he had anticipated.

Still, he puts on an easy face and relaxes his posture, and tells MK, "It's cool, kid. No need to worry about me. I can handle this. You can go home. We'll train some other time."

His smile falters ever so slightly when MK instead takes a step towards him. "But Monkey King, that's what he wants! You didn't hear - he wants to beat you and bring you to DBK!"

Wukong barks out a laugh. "Ha! He can certainly try!" He makes a shoo motion with a hand. "Now go along, I got this," he says with a wink.

"HEY!" Red Son yells. "You fools underestimate my new power!" Red Son flings a fireball at Wukong who easily dodges out of the way. The smile never leaves Wukong’s features and the scowl never leaves Red Son’s as he continues to dodge several blasts of fire from the demon.

Frustrated that the smaller blasts aren’t working, Red Son whips up a giant fireball and flings it at Wukong. The Monkey King makes a practiced movement with his arms right before the wall of fire hits. The blaze expands over the Monkey King.

MK looks on in horror and yells “Monkey King!” He leaps towards Red Son swinging his staff. Red Son jumps back, dodging the strike, and cackles. But his laugh is slowly drowned out by a more booming series of laughs coming from the flames.

The flames part like a curtain and Wukong steps out with a slight glow surrounding him. “You didn’t think I had flame wards up my sleeve?”

Red Son makes a frustrated grunt at the display, but then smirks once again. “I might not have been able to set you on fire, but too bad for your little home here. He gestures at some of the surrounding bushes that are still lit with blue flames.

“Oh that?” Wukong shrugs. I can take care of that. He sweeps his arm over the area causing a gust of wind to sweep sand and dirt over the bushes. For a moment, the fire seems to flicker and spit, but then immediately blazes brighter, almost angrily. “Huh.” Wukong’s shoulders droop and along with his expression. “That’s… odd.” He looks back at a chuckling Red Son.

“You’ll find that my fire isn’t so easily extinguished.” He summons flames to his hands as his hair flickers with equally blue flames, one eye seemingly sparking with fire, and he turns menacingly to MK who is still beside him. “And even though _you_ may have some protection against fire, _he_ doesn’t.” He pulls back a hand and twists around to deliver a flaming punch at MK.

Wukong’s eyes widen as he sees his student get attacked by the strange fire.

MK instinctively brings up his staff to block the strike, but his footing is not proper and he gets pushed back. He stumbles over some debris on the ground and in his efforts to keep his footing, he is unable to defend the next blow that comes toward him. He lets out a small squeak and flinches, squeezing his eyes shut. But the blow doesn’t come. Wukong won’t allow that.

Wukong flies in between the two and manages to force Red Son away from his student, the fire in his fist only just glancing off of Wukong’s shoulder. Red Son is taken off guard from the interference, but maintains a fighting stance and turns his concentration onto the Monkey King. His eye glides to his shoulder and he smirks. “Not so fireproof after all, huh, Monkey King?”  
Wukong raises his eyebrows and looks to where Red Son is looking. His upper sleeve is on fire.

The Monkey King makes an extremely dignified yelp, and rushes comically over to the waterfall and shoves his arm in the water. However, the water only seems to add a pathway for the fire to spread, as if it were covered in oil, and his entire sleeve starts to catch fire. Wukong rapidly takes the sleeve from his shoulder and rips it off of his arm, throwing the still-flaming piece of garment to the ground. He checks his fur and it is thankfully not on fire. He gives a rueful look back to Red Son and huffs out an angry puff of air.

“Kid,” he says sternly this time, to MK. “You really should go home.”

MK looks nervously back at his mentor, and thankfully, this time takes a small, hesitant step backwards. “But…” he starts.

Wukong can’t keep an upset face for long. “Don’t worry,” he repeats, a relaxed smile spreading back on his face. “I got this.”

In the span of time that it takes Red Son and MK to even blink, Wukong has disappeared from his spot by the waterfall and closed the distance between him and them, appearing just before Red Son, delivering a kick to his stomach that flings him across the cove. From the dust and dirt that was kicked up by the action, comes coughing and hacking from the fire demon, as he holds his stomach and struggles uselessly to get up.

Wukong turns back to MK and smiles again, just as easy as anything. “See?”

MK gives a tentative smile and a nod and begins to take leave of the area.

“ _No_!” comes a determined growl from the now settling dust. Red Son pushes himself onto his elbows, and looks up at them hatefully. “I will NOT be ignored! I will NOT be underestimated! Not again!” Smoke starts billowing from his mouth and nostrils as he talks. He huffs out some more smoke and his expression shifts into a wicked smile. “And I know now, what it takes to cook a monkey.” He starts to laugh and with each chuckle more smoke covers the area, blocking Wukong’s view from his surroundings, from Red Son, from _the kid_!

Wukong turns to the last direction he saw MK, calling his name. He activates his true sight, everything turning gold and clear as can be, the smoke becoming a transparent mist to his eyes. He spots the kid swiping at the smoke ineffectively, eyes screwed shut. But he’s at the outer edges of the smoke. “Kid! Just keep walking backwards! You’re nearly to the exit! Just keep running in that direction!” he calls.

The boy coughs as he tries to call for him, “Monkey King?!” But thankfully he starts stepping backwards at Wukong’s command.

Good now, all he has to do is deal with-- Red Son is suddenly directly in front of him. Wukong reflexively starts to form a fire repellant ward, but it’s not fire that comes his way, but smoke and soot. Red Son breathes a puff of air that blows darkness into Wukong’s eyes.

The Monkey King yells in surprise and pain, as he brings his hands to his eyes and tries to swipe away the foreign substance. It stings, and no matter what he does he can’t seem to remove the smoke fast enough. Despite the tiny needles of pain digging into his vision he frantically tries to look back to his student. His true sight allows him to finally see that MK has gotten out of the smoke and is continuing to back away anxiously, but it does nothing to stop the pain. Nor does it prevent the fact that Red Son is charging right towards MK, blue flames swirling in his wake.

Wukong doesn’t stop, doesn’t think, he _moves_.

He is directly in front of MK. He’s put himself between his student and the charging Red Son. MK looks at him in surprise and fear and worry. Wukong can feel heat lapping at his feet, and MK’s eyes widen and become watery. Wukong can see blue light reflected in them. But he smiles at the kid. _His_ kid. And he speaks the next words cheerfully, smiling, easy as anything, “Be safe out there, okay, kid?” He can’t keep the tears, most definitely from the smoke, and not the proud feeling swelling in his chest, from dripping out of his eyes.

MK is about to say something, but his voice and breath are knocked out of him, as Wukong makes some practiced movements with his arms, and presses his hands to the kid’s chest. There’s a golden tone that rings in the air before MK is launched out of sight, out of danger, and back home. Just as he sees MK disappear over the horizon, blue flames wreathe around his entire body, and suddenly his whole world is fire.

Air leaves his lungs, leaving him no room to scream and all he can simply do, is cling. He clutches at his own body tightly, which does nothing more than to allow the fire to envelop him further, spreading up his shaking arms, singeing his fur, keeping him in an unyielding grip of pain. It hurts more than anything he’s ever experienced. He thinks so, at least. It’s hard to tell, as the pain has pushed all semblance of thought or memory from his brain. Everything is white hot agony.

He is suddenly aware that he is on the ground. He immediately starts trying to roll around in the dirt, frantically trying to put out the flames. However, all this does is prevent the fire from going anywhere else except for clutching him tighter. The fire, like daggers, stab into his body, having nowhere else to go, nothing else to catch onto.

As suddenly as the fire came it stopped. He is left on the ground, panting and shaking. His throat burns, but he’s not sure if it is from actual burns or if he managed to get air to his lungs and spent his time on the ground screaming. He is vaguely aware of a voice talking above him, so he moves his head the few inches that he is able to see Red Son.

“...can’t have you dying on me right now, I need to deliver you alive to my father.”

Wukong grits his teeth and digs his fingers into the dirt. Like he’d allow himself to be taken that easily. But right as he moves to try to push himself up, pain blooms on his left side, and he lets out a strangled gasp of pain, dropping back down. He tries to clasp his side, but upon touching the spot, his hand gets enveloped by the pain. He looks down to see that his side is burning with blue fire, and that his hand has caught the flames.

“Uh-uh-uh!” Red Son tuts. “Can’t have you regaining your strength and getting up. That should be enough fire to immobilize you. After all, the more you move, the more it could spread.”

Wukong gives a feral snarl at Red Son, who merely smiles coolly back at him. The smile on Red Son’s face becomes blurry, and at first Wukong thinks that the smoke has gotten in his eyes again, but, no, it’s just that he’s about to pass out. He is somewhat aware that he is being picked up and carried away, with blue flames propelling both him and Red Son away, supposedly back to DBK. But his brain is losing its ability to keep his thoughts straight again. The pain in his side won’t go away. He can’t move or it will spread. DBK likely will want to have his revenge. But at least MK is safe. At least he is safe. And it’s that small comforting thought that he maintains as he loses his battle with unconsciousness.


	6. Back-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei simply strolls over to the window, opens it, and puts one foot on the ledge leading out to the fire escape.
> 
> “You are obviously going to go after him on your own. So I’m coming with. _Duh!_ ” She looks at him like it’s the clearest thing in the world. Which, to be honest, it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if it was clear or obvious, but I'm writing this story as if this is all the characters' first in-person encounter with The True Fire of Samadhi - including Wukong. I know many people include The Fire in his backstory, but I'm creating a kind of canon-divergent timeline for this story - both for LMK and JTTW. At the very least, I'm keeping Wukong's backstory ambiguous since we don't know much about how LMK will interpret it.
> 
> ALSO IMPORTANT! I've updated the tags to this fic, since this chapter deals with panic attacks.

_MK sees the fire begin to consume the Monkey King. He tries to say something to his mentor. Plead. Shout. Anything. But no words come out. His breath is knocked out of him as Monkey King does some weird motion with his arms, and suddenly MK is thrown through the air at a rapid speed. There’s a ringing in his ears and he feels wetness on his cheeks. The ringing becomes louder, until he realizes that it is his own voice yelling. Another voice breaks through the noise._

“Kid!”

_Monkey King?_ MK thinks; hopeful.

“Kid!” the voice repeats. “MK!”

MK blinks the tears out of his eyes and sees a pink chubby snout cross his vision.

“...Pigsy?”

The noodle shop owner breathes a sigh of relief, but his face is still shadowed with deep concern. “MK! Are you okay?! What happened?!”

Mr. Tang’s bespectacled head pops into view. “We found you in a crater in front of the noodle shop. It’s a wonder you are still alive,” he says pushing his glasses up his nose, reflected light blinking off of them.

“Yeah! It was a pretty epic crash!” MK’s heart lightens a bit further, seeing his best friend, Mei join the other two.

But anxiety once again takes hold of his heart. _‘What happened?’_ MK leaps out of what he now recognizes as his bed, nearly butting heads with Pigsy, who was hovering closest to him. He wobbles on his feet, head swimming slightly, having gotten up too fast. Pigsy helps steady him, and MK grasps at the pig’s shirt. “Monkey King! He-he’s in trouble! I gotta- I gotta help! He-- Red Son came! DBK has him-- I -- I think- he’s hurt! He tried to _protectmeandI_ I- gotta- I need to go--.” The words spill out too fast. He’s not sure he’s making sense. Everything seems to spin together and it feels like his whole body is buzzing with energy. His breath hitches and he feels like he’s choking--

“Hey there, MK! Slow down. _Breathe!_ ” Mei puts both of her hands on either side of his face and gently pulls his head so only she is in view. She places her hands over his ears, filling them with a soft static sound. Her eyebrows are tilted in concern, but her smile and voice are carefree and calm. He focuses on the muffled white noise and on her.

MK takes a couple of fast, hiccupy breaths, before he begins to breathe deeper, and slowly calms down. Mei waits a few beats before taking away her hands and asking, “Can you tell us what happened, but slower this time? We’re here for you, dude!”

MK blinks a couple of times and pulls in a longer, deeper breath before nodding slightly. He wipes away the wetness under his eyes and begins.

“I- I saw Red Son. He- he was going to Flower Fruit Mountain. And he wanted to get to the Monkey King. He-- he had this weird new power. He said he wanted to defeat Monkey King and bring him to DBK.”

“Beat the Monkey King?!” Pigsy gave an incredulous look. “He couldn’t have been serious!”

MK shivers a bit at the memory. “Yeah, but he was different this time! The fire he had was blue, and was really strong. He-- I-- I got in the way, and Monkey King-- I think he got the Monkey King-- Why would he send me away like that if it weren’t serious!” MK’s breaths come quicker, but before he can start hyperventilating, Mr. Tang puts a grounding hand on his shoulder and squeezes slightly to get MK to focus on him.

MK looks to the scholar who has an unreadable expression. He asks cautiously, “Can you describe the power he had? That blue fire?”

“Um…” MK tries to focus on what it was like and not on his last view of it as it swirled around his mentor. “It-- it was blue,” he repeats. “It lit the beach - the water on fire! The Monkey King could ward it off, but not put it out.”

“What was it called? Did it have a name?” the scholar prods.

MK nods as he recalls Red Son shouting a name out loud. “The True Fire of… somebody…?”

“The True Fire of _Samadhi_?” Mr. Tang prompts.

MK nods more vigorously. “Yeah! That was it!”

“Hmm…” Mr. Tang puts a hand over his mouth, eyebrows knit together. “That actually may be a real problem.”

“How?” Pigsy asks. “The Monkey King’s immortal, ain’t he? And MK said he could repel it. How could fire hurt someone like dat?”

Mr. Tang sighs, lips pursed as he chooses his words carefully. “The True Fire of Samadhi is not a natural fire. Like MK said, it can’t be extinguished by normal methods. And…” He hesitates with his next words, eyes flicking over to MK and back to Pigsy. “And… it’s one of the few things that could potentially cause harm to an immortal like the Monkey King.”

The silence that follows is almost too much. Or maybe there wasn’t silence and MK had just stopped hearing. So he was right. The Monkey King was in trouble and--

“It’s my fault,” MK whispers. He can feel the other three staring at him. He forces his gaze downward. Tears build up and drip at his feet. “It’s my fault!” he says more loudly. “I let Red Son trick me into leading him there! I distracted Monkey King! I got in the way, and he- he took a hit for me! If it weren’t for me then-”

“Then Red Son would’ve found another way to get to him,” a gruff voice finishes sternly.

MK looks up to Pigsy, tears still dripping. “But- but I got in the way. If I hadn’t been there, if it hadn’t been for me-”

“Then we wouldn’t have this information to help the Monkey King now.” Pigsy again, does not let him finish that train of thought. He gives MK a determined but gentle gaze. “It is NOT your fault MK. And we ARE gonna do somethin’ about this! Together!”

“Right!” Mei chimes in, wrapping an arm lightly around MK’s upper back, not quite grasping, but letting him know it’s there. “If the Monkey King is in trouble, we’re going to help him get out of trouble!”

“Tang, you got any more info on dat fire?” Pigsy turns to the scholar.

“I’ll have to dig out some old books and scrolls, but I’m sure I do,” Mr.Tang affirms.

“Good! We can also get some back-up from Sandy.” Pigsy turns to Mei. “Mei, you stay here with MK, while we get the big guy!”

Mei nods in response.

MK’s nerves settle a bit at the support from his friends, but a pit of fear still bubbles in his stomach. “I can’t let you guys do that! What if the fire gets you, too! I have to--”

“ _YOU_ will stay here,” Pigsy points a stern finger at MK, “and wait until we get back. We’ll go _together_ to DBK’s lair.”

MK shrinks a bit under the intense glare of his boss. But Pigsy’s face and voice soften. “We’re not gonna let you do this alone. And _I_ am not gonna let _you_ get hurt by that fire either. Okay?”

MK’s shoulders sag in defeat, but he nods.

“Good! Now sit here until we get back,” Pigsy says, guiding him to sit back on the bed, before leaving with Mr. Tang.

It’s difficult for MK to just stay there and sit down. His body still feels like it is buzzing. He needs to move, to do _something_. As he watches his two pseudo-caretakers leave, he only becomes more anxious; not only with the worry from before, but with the dread of waiting. The energy bubbles up and he squeezes the edge of his bed with enough strength to cause the wood to crack. But he pays no mind to that. The Monkey King could be in DBK’s clutches already. He needs to go. Now! Seconds before he feels as if he’s going to literally shoot out of his seat, the mattress shifts as the weight of his friend sitting next to him is lifted.

“What are you doing?” MK asks the girl.

Mei simply strolls over to the window, opens it, and puts one foot on the ledge leading out to the fire escape.

“You are obviously going to go after him on your own. So I’m coming with. _Duh!_ ” She looks at him like it’s the clearest thing in the world. Which, to be honest, it is.

“I can’t let you do that,” MK attempts, but he knows it is a losing battle.

Mei knows this, too and gives him a smirk. “Come on. Either I make sure you stay here like Pigsy says, or I’m coming with you. And since you’re going to go either way, I’m definitely not leaving your side. _Ever_.” Mei hardens her gaze, all the while keeping a playful smile around her lips.

MK can’t help but smile back. “All right, let’s do this.” He gets up off of the bed and joins her by the window.

“Together!” Mei holds up a hand.

MK grasps it in his own. “Together!”

They both leap out of the window.


	7. Disappointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son’s breath momentarily catches in his throat. He stares down at the ground, his mind gone blank. He doesn’t know what to do; what to say. The words alone stung, but the pure derision in his father’s voice hurt more than expected. How had he messed up so bad?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some extra warnings for this chapter, particularly because it involves abuse from a parental figure (not entirely purposeful/willful, but still might make some folks uncomfy, so **read with caution** ).
> 
> Also, fun fact! I looked it up and the exact name for the power of DBK's armor is called "ergokinetic absorption!"

Red Son brings the defeated Monkey King to his family’s lair. He carelessly deposits the unconscious body just outside the Flaming Foundry, but finds himself hesitating before entering. Right, this is a big moment. He had subdued his father’s greatest enemy. Maybe he should think of some grander, more dramatic way of presenting the Monkey King to his father. Maybe he should do some grand fire display, part the fire like curtains, and take some sort of bow? Perhaps that was a bit too flashy? Or not flashy enough? You certainly don’t casually go up to the great Demon Bull King and plop his greatest enemy down in front of him? Do you? What would his father like the most? Red Son finds himself pacing back and forth in front of the entrance mulling these things over. A few sparks of fire spout unbidden from his hair and fists. He tries to quell the flames, but they seem to rebel at his thoughts. Between his mutterings and attempts to reign in the fire, he doesn’t notice the figure that approaches him until his thoughts are interrupted by a booming voice.

“Red Son, what are you muttering about this time?!” growls the Demon Bull King.

“F--father!” Red Son squeaks out. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been talking out loud. He wonders how much his father had heard. Well, might as well lean into it. He straightens up pulling a confident smile on his face, and twirls around letting out a little bit of fire to spiral in his display. The flames sputter a bit, as if mocking his half-hearted attempt at bravado, but he grins through it. “Hello Father! I am here to present to you, your greatest foe!” He skirts out of the way and makes some tiny fireworks around his prize. “The Monkey Ki---”

“Sun Wukong?!” DBK says in surprise.

“Uh, er, ye- _es_!!” Red Son falters a bit at being interrupted. “You see, father, _I_ brought him here for you!”

DBK comes closer and starts inspecting the Monkey King. He blinks and shifts his attention to his son. “ _You_?!” he says incredulously. “You can’t be serious?! Is he… dead? How? He is immortal!”

Red Son quickly corrects, “Not dead, no! I spared him for you father! I defeated him and brought him here to deal with as you wish! And I beat him... with this!”

Red Son quickly summons some blue fire to his palm. “The True Fire of Samadhi! It can’t be extinguished unless I put it out! I’ve got him immobilized with it!” Red Son says, proudly puffing out his chest.

DBK looks Red Son up and down, narrows his eyes, and huffs out a snort. “You really did this _for me_?”

Red Son’s confident pose wilts ever so slightly at his father’s tone, filled with suspicion. “Of-- of course, father!”

A large shadow crosses over Red Son’s slowly shrinking form as DBK towers over him menacingly. “Or did you do this _for yourself_?”

Red Son’s voice involuntarily goes up an octave. “I, um... am not sure what you mean.”

DBK lets out a humorless chuckle. “Are you sure you didn’t just do this to try to prove your dwindling worth? Because how can you think that this is something I’d want? Wukong is someone that _I_ want to defeat. _Myself_. Defeating him like this, in such a sorry state? Do you not think I could face him at full power myself?!”

“That- that’s not what I meant at all, father! I-I…” Red Son is now cowering underneath the angry stare of his father. “True, I did want to show my... my usefulness! But, I only wanted to help--”

“Oh please, my boy!” Princess Iron Fan appears from behind DBK with both of her arms behind her back. He hadn’t noticed her presence. She looks over all three of them with an air of pompous derision. “It is poor form to defeat someone else’s mortal enemy!”

DBK gives a nod and a grunt and stares harshly down at his son. “You continue to be such a _disappointment_ to me, Red Son.”

Red Son’s breath momentarily catches in his throat. He stares down at the ground, his mind gone blank. He doesn’t know what to do; what to say. The words alone stung, but the pure derision in his father’s voice hurt more than expected. How had he messed up so bad?

“I--I--” Red Son has to swallow to clear his ever tightening throat. “How-- can I make this up to you, father?”

“Hmmm,” DBK lets out a thoughtful grumble.

“Well, we can’t very well just let the Monkey King go!” Princess Iron Fan says thoughtfully. “We can’t let this opportunity go to waste. It might not be the way you wanted, dearest, but we can still rid ourselves from our biggest threat!”

DBK nods sagely. “I suppose so. But I would rather have a fairer fight with him. Red Son, can you put out the flames, so he can at least wake up and defend himself? There is no pride in this.” He gestures at the unmoving form of his enemy.

“Of-- of course, father!” Red Son frantically tries to concentrate to extinguish the flames that are still burning on the Monkey King’s side. He tries to take a deep breath, but he’s still reeling from his father’s words. Was he really doing this to prove himself? No, he really wanted to be useful to his father. But was that selfish? His father seems to think it is. The fire doesn’t go out, and instead flickers and burns brighter eliciting a shout of pain from Wukong. “Wait, wait, I- I just need to--” Controlling the flames was suddenly harder. Why did he think he could impress his father this way? With fire that he could barely control! Maybe it _would_ have been better if it had been his father who-- Suddenly a thought crosses his mind, and as it did, the flames died down slightly. The idea was kind of scary, but maybe it would be a way to make this whole mess up to his father.

He looks to his father with a sudden seriousness, readying himself for what he’d say next. “I think I know how to make this up to you father…”

DBK gives him a puzzled look, but says nothing allowing him to go on.

“What if I gave you the Samadhi Fire? You can absorb it with the armor I gave you. That way you can be the one who wields the fire.”

A grin spreads across DBK’s face. “Yes… YES!” he says triumphantly! “That is a great idea!” Red Son feels a flutter in his chest that maybe he finally was able to provide something that his father approves of. Something to finally aid him, give him the tools he needs for destruction! Who better to wield the fire than his own father, after all? 

As if to echo his thoughts, DBK says, “After all, I’d be able to wield the fire with much more skill than you, surely. My more powerful body would be able to handle it more.”

Red Son’s smile wobbles a bit. True, he had that exact same thought, but hearing his father say so makes something in this chest tighten. He brushes that feeling away, and situates himself proudly in front of DBK, ready and willing to give him the power that his father deserved!

“Anything for you, father!” Red Son says proudly, confidently. Despite the fire inside him resisting, as if recoiling at his command, he summons the fire to his palms and pushes outward as DBK activates his armor’s absorption abilities.

At first, the flames go in smoothly and calmly. Then Red Son feels a tug, he feels almost like he needs to take a step forward, as the fire is pulled with more force into DBK’s chest-plate. But that’s okay, any discomfort that he feels is fine. He wanted this and it will help his father. So he buckles down and pushes out more flames for his father to absorb. The technology that Red Son made for DBK is strong though, and the pull gets more and more powerful. It’s starting to feel uncomfortable, almost...draining. Red Son has to tell himself to not slouch. But he feels a small sense of relief as the flames finally change from blue to red, and he knows that his father has absorbed everything of the True Fire of Samadhi. 

However, the pull on his flames does not stop.

“Wait… father…?” Red Son starts to protest. “You’re finished, you can stop, now…?”

But DBK doesn’t seem to have any intention of stopping. Blue flames swirl in his eyes, obscuring his vision. He growls angrily, almost as if he is in pain. “Such… power! So much!”

Something must be wrong. Red Son tries to put out his flames, tries to disconnect the path as his fire leads to the center of the armor. But he can’t. His fire keeps getting yanked in that direction and the feeling of weakness, of being drained, becomes stronger. He bends over, tired, his eyelids are threatening to slip shut. “Father… stop… please!” he begs, the sudden bout of weakness preventing him from thinking straight, all pretense of being a strong and proud son lost. His fire keeps getting drained away and he can’t stop it.

Princess Iron Fan steps in and lays a hand on DBK’s arm. “Dearest, you are behaving strangely. Stop that now.” DBK spins around, waving her off harshly. She has to step back and take up a defensive position. However, this movement seems to be enough to finally break the chain of fire that is being absorbed into DBK’s center, finally releasing Red Son from the pull.

With no more forces in play, Red Son leans forward and his knees wobble dangerously, nearly bringing him to the ground. His eyes droop tiredly and his entire body feels like jelly. A chill goes up and down his spine as he realizes that he’s suddenly very cold. He hugs his middle as if to try to keep any heat from escaping. His brain doesn’t really want to work and everything just feels _wrong_. He becomes aware of a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and he sluggishly turns his head to look. The sensation moves and he realizes that it is his hair, which usually sticks upright, that is tickling the back of his neck. Before he can ponder that, his focus is drawn to yelling.

It is his father. DBK is shouting angrily, eyes literally ablaze with blue fire, and flames spouting from his mouth. He seems almost feral, rabid. It’s similar to how he was with the White Bone Spirit possessing him. He breathes flames around with no direction in mind; wild and unfocused. Princess Iron Fan has to jump out of the way of some of the blasts.

“It’s too much! Too much power! I can’t--- It burns! Everything burns! Everything else must burn!” DBK shouts. His eyes focus on Red Son. “ _YOU_!” he snarls. 

DBK stalks close to Red Son, who can’t do anything but stand there on unsteady feet and just wait for what is to come. Princess Iron Fan tries to jump in close to stop him, but DBK’s flames block her movements, and her wind attacks do nothing but stir up more fire. DBK reaches out a hand and snatches up Red Son around his arms and torso. He begins to squeeze. _Hard_.

“You did this to me!” DBK growls “You just want to show that you’re better! That you can control this better! That you can defeat my own enemy!”

“N-no, father--” Red Son tries to protest, but his voice is halting and weak. It cracks under the pressure on his body, and under the very weight of his own words that he can barely get out. “I just wanted--” He can’t finish. He doesn’t know what he wanted. Not this. He didn’t want this.

DBK squeezes harder, Red Son’s breath gets pushed out, and the pressure on his arms and chest are unbearable. He hears something crack. Some _things_ crack. But before he can even register that, pain flows in a rush of wind as a gust of blue flames envelop him. If Red Son could spare a thought, he’d think it was ironic to be burned by his own fire. He supposes he deserves it at this point. But all thought leaves him and is only left with _HURT_. Everything hurts! He’d scream except that he has no more air to scream with, and he can only press his forehead against the large gauntlet that is holding him as his only way to brace himself against the pain. Unconsciousness is almost about to overtake him when he hears a yell.

“STOP!”

The flames, thankfully, do stop, and the grip holding him loosens just enough to allow air to fill Red Son’s lungs. He pants tiredly, and shallowly, each breath bringing a sting of pain to his sides. His head still rested on the large hand, he rolls his head over to look toward where the voice was. To his surprise, he can see Wukong, still on the ground, still with his side on fire, looking up at DBK with a fire in his eyes blazing brighter than the flames burning his side. 

“Your beef is with me, DBK, not him!” Wukong says, propping himself up on his elbows. 

Red Son is not sure whether or not he feels more confused, surprised, or ashamed at being defended by an enemy. An enemy that he himself put in that situation. How weak must he appear that he’s being pitied by someone in that terrible state? He hates it. He hates that his plan didn’t work. He hates that his father finds him such a disappointment. He hates that he gave his father an unruly power that put him in this condition. And he hates that everything is now literally burning up in his face. He hates himself.

“Sun Wukong~” DBK breathes gutturally. Everything else seems forgotten to him as he turns towards the Monkey King.

He then yowls and charges at the Monkey King. In this motion, fire spins around him, throwing Princess Iron Fan back, and flinging Red Son away. Red Son flies across the now flaming area, meeting the ground a few times before smacking into a nearby building with such force as to leave a crater in the wall. He drops to the ground in a limp heap, landing on his chest, and once again, the wind is knocked out of him. His eyes are half-lidded as he sees his father’s charge be suddenly stopped as a form lands on the ground in between them. An angry wind whips around them causing DBK to come to a halt. Red Son’s eyes become blurry, but he forces them to focus just to see this newcomer.

Of course, he should’ve known that that little pain in the butt would appear eventually. It’s the Noodle Boy. Red Son is in pain, and tired, and his eyes are threatening to close, but he’d recognize that annoying face anywhere. Though this time MK’s eyes are filled with more anger and hatred than he’s ever seen in them. It’s that anger, that hurt, that Red Son sees last before his eyes finally slip shut and darkness finally overtakes him.


	8. Torrent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK has no more time. 
> 
> He thinks of the ocean. 
> 
> He knows what he must do.

Wind flows from MK in angry waves as he lands in between the Monkey King and DBK. If the stakes weren’t so dire, he’d think about how cool of a superhero landing that was. The blue fire has spread around the area, and though his landing pushed some of it back, none of it was extinguished. Fear flutters in his chest at coming face to face with the same power that had seemingly consumed his mentor, and it flares even more so to realize that this time it was DBK who seemed to be wielding the fire, and not Red Son. He glances on either side of his enemy to see Princess Iron Fan trying to put out some flames that had caught on her dress, and Red Son lying unconscious farther away. DBK seems _off_. It reminds him of when he was possessed by that weird white ghost before. An unhinged Demon Bull King wielding the very fire that could kill the Monkey king? Not good.

“Kid?!” calls a weak voice from behind him.

“Monkey King!” All thought and focus leaves him as he looks to the voice of his injured mentor. He’s still alive! The Monkey King looks angry. Or in pain?

“Look out, Kid!” he rasps.

MK turns around to see DBK charging at him, eyes ablaze. Before he can react, a giant, metallic fist slams into DBK, throwing him out of the way of MK.

“I got your back, MK!” Mei calls from the cockpit of the Monkey Mech that had entered the scene.

MK smiles up at her and waves. “Thanks Mei!”

“You check on the Monkey King! I’ll hold DBK off!” she says with a salute and takes giant leaps meeting DBK as he resumes his charge.

MK nods and rushes to his mentor’s side. He doesn’t look good. His fur is singed and parts of his clothes are blackened and ripped. Not only that, but there’s a flare of blue fire coming from his left side and right hand. MK reaches out to him. He doesn’t know what he can do, but he wants to help.

“ _DON’T TOUCH ME_!” Monkey King shouts in a strained snarl.

MK flinches at the harsh command and his hands pause midair. He looks on helplessly as Monkey King wheezes and coughs, as if his yell took all his energy. MK brings his hands to his chest and tugs at his shirt as anxiety tugs at his heart.

The Monkey King’s expression turns to something softer and more sympathetic, and he corrects quickly, “No, no, kid.” He pants trying to catch his breath. “Y-you can’t touch me. You might catch on fire, too. You-- you need to go--” he says before devolving into wheezing coughs.

MK lets go of his shirt and clenches his fists. He wouldn’t let his mentor get in trouble trying to protect him again. “No, I need to help! I’m- I’m the hero guy now! I can do this!” He locks eyes with the Monkey King giving him a fierce and determined look.

The Monkey King stares back, steadily reading his student’s expression, before closing them and giving a nod. He looks up at MK with a strained, but proud smile and trusting eyes.

MK smiles back. Though it worries him that the Monkey King seems to be having trouble even talking right now, having his mentor’s affirmation means everything to him.

Suddenly a metallic screech blares behind him, so grating that he has to hold his hands to his ears. Turning around he sees DBK latching onto the Monkey Mech’s fist, twisting its metal, and grappling the giant mech to the ground. Flames twist around the fist and travel upward to the face of the mech, blooming into a fiery explosion.

“MEI!” MK screams as worry fills his heart. For a second he can’t breathe as he sees blue flames envelop the cockpit area, obscuring any sight of his best friend.

A streak of blue flies upward out of the head of the mech and for a moment MK thinks that it’s the flames flying even higher, until he realizes that it’s humanoid shaped. As the streak arcs downward he recognizes that it’s Sandy! With Pigsy and Mr. Tang hanging on his shoulders! And Mei held protectively in his arms!

He lands next to MK with a smile, a hearty laugh, and smoke trailing behind him. “Hello, MK! I brought some friends!”

Pigsy and Mr. Tang jump off quickly and rush to his side. He lets Mei down gently, who wobbles slightly and holds onto his arm for some support. Small blue flames start blackening her jacket sleeve. “Let me just take your jacket for you, Mei,” Sandy says, quickly, but carefully, pulling it off her shoulders in a practiced motion and flinging it to the side.

“Mei!” MK exclaims, rushing over to her and giving her a big hug. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a bit dizzy,” she says with slightly unfocused eyes. “I think I breathed in too much smoke.” She winces and holds her head.

MK looks over her, worriedly, and then a flicker of light catches his eye.

“Sandy! You’re on fire!” Pigsy exclaims.

“Well, I do think that was an exciting last-minute save, thank you!” Sandy says cheerily.

At everyone’s pause he looks to his shoulder to see a small blue flame burning there. “Oh you mean that!” he says, cheery voice not faltering in the slightest.

“SANDY!” Pigsy yells angrily.

Sandy laughs sheepishly. “Ah hah, I must’ve got singed a bit when rescuing Mei. But don’t worry, we’re here to deal with that problem. MK, you can stop DBK while Tang tries to find a possible cure in that book of his.”

Mr. Tang pushes his glasses up his nose. “Yes, I will research on how to extinguish the True Fire of Samadhi…” he says calmly, before his voice raises into a fearful shriek, “just as it iS COMING RIGHT AT US!”

True to his shout, a blast of fire is headed their way. MK isn’t going to let it get advantage of them this time. He quickly summons his staff. Though he doesn’t know the fire repellant wards that Monkey King does, he can at least deflect the flames with the staff. He twirls the staff catching up the fire with it, and whips it around sending it back the Bull King’s way. DBK absorbs the fire back into his chest and growls angrily.

“MK, go and deal with the Demon Bull King!” Pigsy says. “I’ll keep an eye on these guys while Tang tries to find a solution in that book of his!”

MK nods and rushes to battle the new commander of the flames that took down his mentor.

DBK breathes out a couple of fire blasts, which MK swats out of the way with his staff. He closes in on DBK and swings a third swipe right at his head. DBK catches the attack with one of his horns and flicks it backwards. He swings a punch at MK’s midsection, which MK blocks with his staff. He retaliates with a few quick jabs of his staff, forcing DBK to take some steps back to dodge. The demon stamps one of his hooves to the ground, emitting sparks as if they were a flint hitting stone, causing fire to flare around him. MK is forced to do an impromptu jig to dodge the sparks. Doing so leaves an opening for DBK to thrust his head forward in an attempt to gouge him with his horns.

MK hears his shirt tear and feels a sharp point slash across his skin. He squints his eyes shut at the pain that is sure to come, but before he can even think, DBK has thrown another punch his way, ramming into his chest and flinging him across the battlefield.

Wind whips past his ears and he feels his body hit a wall, debris scattering about him. Dust surrounds him and obscures his vision. He hears a ringing in his ears and the shouting of his friends’ worried voices, calling his name. His feet land on the ground and he stumbles a few steps forward, but does not fall. There is surprisingly little pain. The dust clears and he blinks his eyes, looking down at himself. He is… fine…? His shirt is torn, and there is a clear indication that he was thrown several yards, what with a furrow in the ground and a crater in the wall behind him. But there are no apparent injuries on him. He remembers to breathe and huffs out a surprised cough.

“..What?” he asks to no one.

He looks up and everyone, including DBK, looks just as confused as MK feels. Except for the Monkey King. Who he can see looking at him, with half lidded eyes and a contented smile. He recalls the moment back at Flower Fruit Mountain, when Monkey King sent him away. That hit to the chest!

“Monkey King...” he breathes. “You-- you undid the seal on my powers!?” he yells.

His mentor smiles wide enough that his eyes squint shut.

“So, you’re invincible again?!” Mei says excitedly.

“Yeah!” MK can’t help but mirror his friend’s smile as he pulls at the tear in his shirt. “I guess so!”

An angry snarl comes from DBK’s direction as does a stream of blue fire.

MK yelps and leaps out of the way. “Well… invincible except for the fire!” He runs away from the trail of fire following him, dodging around in a serpentine motion. He shouts over to where Pigsy and Mr. Tang are hovering by the Monkey King. “Mr.Tang! You got a solution to the fire problem yet?!”

Mr. Tang’s expression belies boredom, but his jaw is tight and his speech is sharp and hurried. He flips through his book and responds, “According to my research, the Samadhi Fire can only be sent away by the creator of the fire, held at bay by a fire repellent ward, or extinguished by a drop of sweet dew from the Bodhisattva Guanyin's vase.” He readjusts his glasses as a bead of sweat drips down his temple. “And unfortunately,” he gestures at DBK, “the creator of the fire doesn’t seem to be in the mood to stop shooting fire at us…” He gestures at the Monkey King, “...the only one who knows fire repellent wards is having trouble _breathing_ , much less is able to form seals…” MK grimaces at this remark, but listens to Mr. Tang as he continues. “...And I don’t think we have any Bodhisattva’s present and willing to provide us with a drop of dew.”

That’s not good. The Monkey King’s state is getting worse and worse. The fire has already gotten on Sandy, and despite the big guy’s grin, he can tell the spreading burn is weighing on him. What can MK do? Keep fighting the Demon Bull King, and wait until each of his friends, including himself, accidentally catch on fire? He’s not sure he can dodge DBK forever, and even if he tires him out or defeats him, that’s not going to put the fire out. The flames from their battle are even beginning to overtake the surrounding area. Even _if_ stopping DBK stops the flames, he’s not sure if he’d be able to do it in time to prevent more destruction or to save Monkey King!

He dodges another blast of fire. He squints his eyes shut in frustration. _What can he do?!_

Upon opening his eyes, everything is golden. True sight! He looks around and everything appears as if in slow-motion. Or rather, it’s all going at normal speeds, but it’s like he can see _how_ everything moves and every single detail. He sees the flames curl around him, and which fiery hoops to dodge through. He can see the flames flare at DBK’s center and the pained squint around his eyes as if even the Demon Bull King is at the fire’s mercy. He can see Princess Iron Fan’s attempts to put out the fire only causing it to spread more, and Red Son’s still body. He can see Mei look between them all worriedly and how that causes her to become even dizzier. He hopes she didn’t get a concussion. He can see the corner of Sandy’s eyes squint in pain despite his smile, and Pigsy’s spittle as he yells at Mr. Tang to hurry up. He can see the cool expression on the scholar start to break as he flips through his book. He can see an illustration in the book of a drop of dew being poured from a heavenly looking vase. Somehow he sees the dew drip down the page and onto the ground. Except that the ground suddenly becomes an ocean, as if an entire body of water was held within that one drop of heavenly dew, and he is completely enveloped in its vastness.

He blinks. The ocean is gone and the golden view is receding. But before it leaves completely it focuses on the Monkey King. The fire has crept up to his chest and shoulder. He is no longer breathing. As if the flames have claimed the air in his lungs.

MK has no more time. 

He thinks of the ocean. 

He knows what he must do.

MK leaps through another twist of flame, but instead of landing he thrusts his staff to the ground, and extends it to hurl himself high up into the air. He looks out, across the city, to the bay and finds what he is looking for.

“Picking up an entire ocean can’t be too much harder than picking up a mountain. Right?” he jokes in an attempt to alleviate his worries. It doesn’t really.

He hopes this works. It will work. It _has_ to work!

He enlarges the staff further and extends it over to the waters. He’s in the air, but does what his mentor taught him as best he can. “ _Step into the strike_.”

He swings the now gigantic staff, thrusting the end into the ocean, and putting his entire body into the motion. He strains his muscles, and even for an invincible and powerful being, this is hard. Slowly, but surely, the staff moves. And the ocean with it. The force of the strike pulls the ocean right out of the bay, out of the earth, and a near infinite wall of water seizes up behind him.

MK swoops the staff around, and brings it, and the entire ocean crashing down. He doesn’t do so carelessly, no. He wills the waters to drench the area, the buildings, his friends with a strong enough flow to extinguish the flames, but not to harm. But as for the demons who caused this mess, he lets the full weight of the water slam into them. Angrily. Mercilessly.

Like the torrents currently surrounding him, anger and hatred swirl around MK. He pushes the water down onto his enemies. He forces the water to seep into the tech on DBK’s chest, making sure that he extinguishes every last bit of that blue fire. He throws it down on Red Son and Princess Iron Fan, as well. They all deserve this, right? They tricked him! They used him to bring them to the Monkey King. They hurt him! They hurt his friends! They tried to kill his friends! They almost killed his mentor! Had they killed his mentor? Is he still alive? Is this even helping?

He looks to his friends. The fire had gone out. But his friends look distressed. He sees Mei strain to look up at him through the streaming waters whipping around her. She looks shocked and worried. MK notices his face is scrunched up and his brows are furrowed harshly. What must he look like right now?

He looks over to his enemies, the water is pushing them back, threatening to force them into the bay and be lost at sea once the waters return there. Red Son started this, but he had been out the entire fight, injured and unable to defend himself. DBK had attacked, but was obviously overcome with the power. And Princess Iron Fan hadn’t even lifted a finger to him or his friends here. What’s the point of hurting them further?

MK looks at the Monkey King. The way the water flows around him, MK could pretend that it is as if his mentor is moving. But he’s not. MK knows he’s not. He had stopped the fire. Isn’t that enough?

He hopes it is enough, because if it isn’t, he doesn’t know what he’d do. He just wants his friends to be safe. He just wants his mentor to wake up and keep teaching him. He shouldn’t have this much power right now. Not yet. He can’t handle it yet. _He needs his teacher_.

And like the weight of the ocean, the weight of his emotions come crashing down. A sob bubbles out of his throat and he bursts into tears. The wave of water he’s controlling suddenly breaks apart, expanding over the area and covering it in a torrential downpour of salty rain.

MK floats down to the ground and stands there listlessly as equally salty tears slide down his face. He wobbles and is caught by the sudden embrace of his best friend. Mei holds him close, and MK sinks into the hug. His legs give out underneath him, and she follows him gently to the ground, kneeling beside him. He buries his face just below her shoulder and cries heavily into her shirt. She holds him tightly as if helping to hold back the sobs that are racking his body. The rain pouring around them forms white noise in MK’s ears, and he is reminded of the comfort she gave him before. Despite this he can just barely hear her calming whispers reach him, and he holds on tighter still.

Much larger arms surround them both. It’s Sandy. MK can tell from the tint of blue at the corner of his vision and the scent of tea and baked goods that seem to surround the large man. Sandy picks them both up and holds them protectively. The love and comfort he feels from his friends is enough to help him quiet his crying. He tries to dry his tears, but with the rain drenching everything, the act is useless. Still he looks up at them with grateful, watery eyes, and says, “Thanks guys.”

“Of course, MK,” Mei says like she helped him beat a level in a video game and not like her support means the world to him.

“You did it, MK!” Sandy says jovially!

MK winces a bit at his booming voice, but gives a slight smile. It fades immediately at the thought of his mentor. “The Monkey King! Is he all right?!”

The two of them look over in that direction. Pigsy and Mr. Tang are on either side of the Monkey King. Mr. Tang looks like he is making jabbing motions with his fingers at the Monkey King while Pigsy is flailing his arms wildly and yelling.

“What do ya think you’re doing?!” MK can hear Pigsy yell as Sandy brings him and Mei closer.

“I’m trying to hit his chakra points to help him start breathing again!” Mr. Tang exclaims, all attempts at remaining calm completely lost.

“Can ya even do that?!” Pigsy says, trying to sound sarcastic, but the rising tone of his voice gives away his panic.

“I’m following the book’s instructions!”

“Well do it better!”

“I’m trying!”

“Listen ta me, Tang! That’s not even tha way to do it! Ta make someone breathe again, ya just gotta slap ‘em like this!” Pigsy exclaims winding up an arm.

Mr. Tang flails his own arms and says, “Pigsy, I don’t think you should act rashly and--”

But it’s no good as Pigsy lands a couple of harsh blows to the Monkey King’s back. Everyone else flinches slightly and lets out variations of yelps and “No’s”, but they’re all surprised when a wheezing cough comes out of the Monkey King’s mouth.

“Monkey King!” MK exclaims and scrambles out of Sandy and Mei’s grip to sit next to his mentor.

The Monkey King makes a few more dry coughs and pants heavily. With obvious effort, he opens his eyes and looks up at his student. A wobbly smile spreads on MK’s face and once again tears threaten to spill over. “You’re okay!”

The Monkey King smiles as well and takes a few more steadying breaths before attempting to speak. “Thanks to you, kid! Good hero work!”

MK’s smile wobbles back into a frown and he leans over and hugs the Monkey King, careful to avoid any overly singed fur. He buries his face in his fur and shudders with no help from the cold rain.

“I’m okay, kid. I’m okay!” the Monkey King reassures his shivering student. He doesn’t move, but the shallow, yet now steady, breathing and the whispers of reassurance let MK know that he was right, and everything would be okay.

After a moment of calm silence, Pigsy speaks up. “Well, we better get ‘im someplace where we can take care of his wounds. Let’s head back to the noodle shop, I got some first aid kits in there.”

“Do you even know how to take care of an immortal?” Mr. Tang says.

“Hey, I helped revive him, didn’t I? I'll figure it out when we get there! Sandy, your arm good enough to carry him? I can patch you up as well!”

“I should be good enough to get to the noodle shop,” Sandy says.

MK allows Sandy to pick up the Monkey King, who seems to be slipping in and out of consciousness now, but still breathing steadily.

MK allows himself one last look at the now empty battlefield.

“The DBK family is gone…” Mei says as if to echo his very thoughts.

“Maybe they got taken away by the water…?” Sandy says, looking out to the direction of the sea.

“Ah good riddance, is what I say!” says Pigsy with a wave of his hand. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

With one last look out to sea, MK turns around and hurries to keep pace with Sandy, and keeps an eye on the steady rise and fall of The Monkey King's chest the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is still going to be Red Son-centric, but I do want to focus a lot on MK. I think it'd be fun to explore some of his issues, including the darker parts of him. He's a good and kind-hearted kid, but at times has been shown to be a bit petty, impatient, and selfish. And like Red Son, I find it interesting to see what he'd do if pushed.
> 
> I'd also like to point out that some of this chapter includes semi-competent JTTW lore! The dew from Guanyin's vase can put out the Samadhi Fire. And the dew is essentially an entire ocean's (or more) worth of water. Hence why this kind of works and is mostly lore-compliant ;3


End file.
